Volunteers are going door-to-door to help vulnerable families in Westlake during the national lockdown.

The carers are part of the Westlake United Church Trust’s (WUCT) disaster-relief plan, which is supported by various sponsors, including Church of Holy Spirit, Tokai Methodist Church, Xchange Connexion and Sharing Our Ubuntu Legacy.

They do home visits every morning, performing health checks, handing out safety precautions pamphlets and doing bed washes if needed.

“We have always assisted the community in times of disaster,” says the trust’s Veloshni Baker, acting general manager at WUCT .

The public Benefit Organisation charity serving the needs of Westlake in the areas of Home Based Care, also has a child-protection unit, a pre-school (Emmanuel Educare) and an advice office that helps with admin and community queries.

It is closed due to lockdown, but it continues fundraising online to assist the vulnerable, who are specifically members of their group therapy programmes for children, adults with lifestyle diseases such as HIV and TB, and senior citizens.

The carers are also distributing aid parcels of food, soap, sanitiser and baby formula during their home visits through Ward 71s Covid-19 Disaster Response Programme (“Teaming up to reach out,” Constantiaberg Bulletin, April 2).

“When I visit homes, I feel good when I help the people and see their joyful expressions. They are so appreciative as they are hungry, but it makes me sad when I see people not following the rules of lockdown and walking on the streets. When we tell them to go home, they argue with us.

We are risking our lives and our families’ lives going out to serve others. Please, Westlake residents, I urge you to stay at home. The houses are too close. If one of you gets infected then it will spread fast. This is a terrible disease. It is serious.

If one of our team is infected, we have to stop our services and self-quarantine. Help us by washing your hands, physical distancing and following safety precautions.”

The Constantiaberg Bulletin (formerly the Bergvliet Bulletin) was established in 1955 and re named Constantiaberg Bulletin in 1979. This long established popular community title includes the key shopping centres Constantia Village and Blue Route Mall within its distribution area.